By Cross Udo, Abuja
Vice President Kashim Shettima has said the end to insecurity in Nigeria is in sight, as President Bola Tinubu is working hard to ensure peace is sustained across the country.
He prayed for more unity, progress, and peaceful coexistence under the Tinubu administration, assuring that the President is doing all he can to secure lives and property across the nation.
Shettima stated this on Tuesday in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, when he formally received the state governor, Dauda Lawal, and his supporters into the All Progressives Congress (APC) fold on behalf of President Tinubu.
He said, “We pray for more unity and progress under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu because our leader is working very hard to ensure the safety of lives and property across Nigeria.”
Shettima maintained that the security challenges in Zamfara State and other troubled states would be addressed, saying the arrival of Governor Dauda Lawal in the APC would help achieve that.
The Vice President said opposition parties like the ADC, PDP, and others will not thrive in Zamfara State because all major politicians in the state are knitted together.
He expressed full support for the Governor, applauding the people of the state for their support for the Governor and the APC.
Earlier, Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau, who represented the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, said members of the National Assembly on the APC platform were in full support of Governor Lawal’s defection to the party.
“The Governor will now be working together with other governors to help address the problems of the state and further enhance development,” he said
Barau stressed that security challenges are not peculiar to Zamfara or Nigeria, adding that the problem is surmountable.
“The solution lies in collaboration and teamwork. The state governor’s collaboration with other governors and the federal government will enable him to overcome present challenges. His joining the APC shows wisdom.”
The Deputy Senate President urged the people of the state to vote for the APC in 2027 to reap more dividends of democracy.
On his part, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, said history had been made in Zamfara with the defection of the governor to the APC.
He added that the state was once part of the progressives, expressing delight that Governor Lawal has returned the state to the fold.
“Today there is no opposition in Zamfara State,” he said, wishing the governor and the state well in their political journey, even as he urged the governor to carry everybody along.
He also advised the people of Zamfara to support Governor Lawal to promote further development.
Also, the chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, said governors elected on the APC platform were happy to welcome Governor Lawal into their fold.
He thanked the people of the state for supporting the governor at all times, just as he said, “It is a win-win situation for Zamfara. APC is a moving train, and we are happy that the State has joined that train. All Governors of APC will support Governor Lawal to do more for this State.”
For his part, APC national chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, stated that Zamfara was now entirely an APC state, as all the former Governors of the state have assured him of their support for Governor Lawal.
The APC national chairman said he was impressed with the governor’s performance, particularly the development boost the state has received through the implementation of massive infrastructure projects, including the construction of a brand-new airport.
Yilwatda later handed over the flag of the APC and a broom, the symbol of the party, to Lawal, symbolising his grand entry into the party.
In his brief remarks, Lawal thanked former governors of the state, including Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle and Senator Abdulazeez Yari, among others, for their support and cooperation.
He pledged to work for the success of the APC at all levels in next year’s general election, saying, “I will embrace all my predecessors, and I will work hard for the progress of Zamfara State,” the Governor pledged.
In their separate remarks, former governors of the state, Senator Yari, and Matawale, pledged their full support for Governor Lawal and President Tinubu in next year’s general election.
Matawale, in particular, announced that, contrary to reports making the rounds in some quarters, he will not contest for the governorship in 2027; rather, he declared that his only gubernatorial candidate is Governor Lawal.
